Many students are required to, or choose to, take standardized tests as part of their educational experience. For example, college-bound students typically take a standardized college entrance exam. In the United States, the ACT® and SAT® are two examples of standardized tests that many college-bound students take. Undergraduate colleges and universities often consider a student's score on such standardized tests when making the determination of whether to admit the student to the school, or not.
Generally, students will want to score as highly as possible on these standardized tests in order to increase the likelihood of being admitted to a school. And students who hope to be admitted into a selective school often try to achieve very high scores. Therefore, many students spend time preparing for standardized tests, and some students are very serious about how they prepare. For example, taking practice tests and tutoring are common preparation strategies.
A typical standardized test includes multiple test sections, and each test section must be completed within a prescribed amount of time. For example, a standardized test might include a math test section that must be completed within thirty minutes. For some students, however, completing all the questions in a test section within the prescribed amount of time can be a challenge. And if a student is not mindful of the amount of time remaining for a test section, the time to complete the test section may expire before the student has completed all of the questions. Therefore, many students' preparation strategies also address the limited amount of time for completing test sections.
Different test sections might not necessarily have the same prescribed amount of time, however. For example, in addition to a math section that must be completed within thirty minutes, there might also be a reading section that must be completed within twenty minutes. This requires students to be aware of how much time is provided for different test sections. In addition, the number and type of test sections, and the prescribed amounts of time for each, can vary between standardized tests. For example, the ACT has five sections (English, Math, Reading, Science, and Writing) and the SAT has ten sections (three Writing, three Reading, three Math, and one Experimental). Thus, preparation strategies can also address the different amounts of time for completing various test sections, including for different tests.
It is therefore common for students to take practice exams under timed circumstances. Various devices have been used to keep track of time. For example, a student taking a practice test section that must be completed in thirty minutes can look at a clock or watch, observe the present time, and then determine the time by which the test section must be completed. If the student looks at the time again while taking the test section, he must determine how much time is remaining by either (1) determining the difference between the time by which the section must be completed and the then-present time; or (2) determining how much time has elapsed since beginning the test section, and determining the difference between thirty minutes (the prescribed amount of time) and the elapsed time. In either case, this requires the student to perform a mental calculation to determine the remaining time, which can distract the student from the substance of the test section and waste precious time.
Students have also kept track of time using countdown timers. For example, a wristwatch or a mobile phone might provide countdown timer capabilities. A student taking a practice test section that must be completed in thirty minutes can set the countdown timer for thirty minutes. The student can then start the countdown timer when he begins taking the test section. If the student looks at the countdown timer while taking the test section, he will observe the remaining time. When the countdown timer expires, there is typically a noise or a vibration to indicate that the prescribed time has ended. If the student proceeds to take a further practice test section that must be completed in a different amount of time, the student must change the countdown timer and set it for the different amount of time.
Some students prefer to follow consistent routines when preparing for standardized tests. For example, a student might consistently sit in a particular desk when taking practice tests, and might consistently use the same wristwatch to keep track of time.
Standardized tests are often administered to students in large rooms, such as gymnasiums or cafeterias, and under strict guidelines. For example, students are prohibited from having mobile phones and other electronic devices while taking a standardized test, including devices having wireless communication capabilities. In addition, even certain types of wristwatches might be prohibited, such as those that make noise or distract other test takers. Thus, the environment and circumstances under which the student actually takes the standardized test are likely to be different than those that the student had when preparing for the test. This change can cause frustration or anxiety for some students, which might impact their performance on the test.